Abstract

Biomedical properties of hydrogen water have been extensively investigated, but the effect of hydrogen on good healthy subjects remains unclear. This study was designed to explore the hygiene improvement by electrolytically generated hydrogen warm water (40°C) on capillary blood streams, skin moisture, and keratin plugs in skin pores in normal good healthy subjects with their informed consents. Fingertip-capillary blood stream was estimated after hand-immersing in hydrogen warm water by videography using a CCD-based microscope, and the blood flow levels increased to about 120% versus normal warm water, after 60 minutes of the hand-immersing termination. Skin moisture of subjects was assessed using an electro-conductivity-based skin moisture meter. Immediately after taking a bath filled with hydrogen warm water, the skin moisture increased by 5-10% as compared to before bathing, which was kept on for the 7-day test, but indistinct, because of lower solubility of hydrogen in "warm" water than in room-temperature water. Cleansing of keratin plugs in skin-pores was assessed by stereoscopic microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. After hydrogen warm water bathing, the numbers of cleansed keratin plugs also increased on cheek of subjects 2.30- to 4.47-fold as many as the control for normal warm water. And areas of cleansed keratin plugs in the cheeks increased about 1.3-fold as much as the control. More marked improvements were observed on cheeks than on nostrils. Hydrogen warm water may thoroughly cleanse even keratin-plugs of residual amounts that could not be cleansed by normal warm water, through its permeability into wide-ranged portions of hair-pores, and promote the fingertip blood streams more markedly than merely through warmness due to normal warm water.

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

Observation of the fingertip-capillary blood streams by videography using a charge coupled device-based…

Figure 1

Observation of the fingertip-capillary blood streams by videography using a charge coupled device-based microscope.

Figure 2

5

Promotion of the ring fingertip-capillary…

Figure 2

13

Promotion of the ring fingertip-capillary blood streams by immersed-hand-mediated administration of hydrogen warm…

Figure 2

Promotion of the ring fingertip-capillary blood streams by immersed-hand-mediated administration of hydrogen warm water in female at the age of 51 years with compared to normal warm water. Note: Images were shown for three typical capillary-loop points on the ring fingertip of the subject before immersion and at 30 minutes (min) after immersion of hands. Scale bars: 0.01 mm in the vertical length, but enlarged 2.6-folds in the lateral direction.

Figure 3

5

Promotion of capillary blood streams…

Figure 3

13

Promotion of capillary blood streams at the ring fingertip of the left hand…

Figure 3

Promotion of capillary blood streams at the ring fingertip of the left hand of female at the age of 51 years by comparing oral administration with immersed-hand-mediated administration of hydrogen warm water. Note: The charge coupled device-based microscopic photographs were expanded for 2.3-fold width direction, with unification for brightness and color tone of the background. The blood flow level (%) was assessed semi-quantitatively as % of the control for three micrographic areas of fingertips using an Image J software. Date are expressed as the mean ± SD, n = 3. Each administration was executed three times. min: Minutes.

Figure 4

5

Skin moisture (%) improvement for…

Figure 4

13

Skin moisture (%) improvement for seven days by hydrogen warm water bathing or…

Figure 4

Skin moisture (%) improvement for seven days by hydrogen warm water bathing or normal warm water bathing on backs of hands of two female subjects at the ages of 18 and 43 years. Note: Skin moisture values were evaluated with an electro-conductivity-based skin moisture meter. Data are expressed as the mean ± SD, n = 3. *P < 0.05, vs. just before bathing. Min: Minute(s).

Figure 5

5

Effect of cleansing of keratin…

Figure 5

13

Effect of cleansing of keratin plugs on nostril and cheek by hydrogen warm…

Figure 5

Effect of cleansing of keratin plugs on nostril and cheek by hydrogen warm water. Note: (A) Stereoscopic images of cleansed and transferred keratin plugs on cheek by hydrogen warm water bathing with compared to normal warm water bathing. Representative plugs are shown by arrows. This experiment was performed on female at the age of 36 years and male at the age of 40 years. Scale bars: 1 mm. (B) Scanning electron microscopic images of cleansed and transferred keratin plugs (indicated by arrowheads) on cheek by hydrogen warm water bathing with compared to normal warm water bathing. This experiment was performed on female at the age of 36 years and male at the age of 40 years. Scale bars: 200 μm. (C, D) Cleansing of keratin plugs on nostril and cheek by hydrogen warm water bathing with compared to normal warm water bathing. Cleansing effects were assessed as the area (C) and number (D) of cleansed keratin plugs by stereoscopic microscopy shown in A and scanning electron microscopy shown in B. These experiments were performed in female at the age of 36 years and male at the age of 40 years. Date are expressed as the mean ± SD, n = 4. *P < 0.05, vs. hydrogen warm water.